roflmao147

i recently joined a cycling club, and went to my first club race last night, and the first thing i noticed was that nearly all had shaved legs. what are the advantages to shaving legs for racing? if any? im only 16 but have a decent growth on my legs . and if the advantages do outweigh my embarassment i might shave mine, so how do i go about doing it?

maverick31210

I honestly think that shaving your legs does not make a difference. Unless youre at top level where milliseconds make a difference. But try wearing bike shorts with furry legs lol......i think it looks kind of funny.

Pwnt

One advatange will be....you won't be the only guy with hairy legs on your team ride.

badhat

so its greatest hits week in the 41. i guess.


leg shaving

90% just a cultural/aesthetic thing, honestly.

but it does feel really good.

and it makes embrocation and muscle cream easier to apply. and massage feels better.

also easier to clean and dress road rash without hair on it.

but yeah, its largely vanity/fashion. nothing wrong with that of course. so is much of what we wear/do to our bodies.

98TJ

The reasoning I've heard to justify shaved legs is that when you get road rash there's no hair to contend with.

Yet these same people don't shave their arms...and when you go down you arms will get rash as well.

I don't shave.

roflmao147

so how do i go about shaving my legs? normal shaver? electric shaver? and im guessing not to use the same one im using for my face hair? sorry for the questions, im still only an amature

Ti Guy

Do I shave my legs, yes. Would I shave my legs at 16, no. I can only imagine the teasing and ridicule that one would receive at that age.

urbanknight

1) Leg massages are more effective
2) Applying sun block is easier (and takes less of it)
3) If you crash, the road rash is easier to clean and treat
4) It is NOT about aerodynamics

When I was 14, I had a teammate who refused to shave his legs. I'm not sure if anyone even noticed other than his teammates when the topic came up. When we went to Junior Nationals, he saw that everyone there shaved, so he caved in to the peer pressure and tried it. Too bad his mom wasn't there to give him advice, because he just took a blade into the shower and shaved without soap, oil, or cream. His razor rash looked like a chronic disease.

LowCel 

I use clippers first (when hair is long) and after that I just use my regular razor and shaving cream.

urbanknight

I started at age 13, and the teasing was well worth the extra attention I got from the ladies in middle school. They all wanted to feel my legs, let me feel theirs for comparison, and sit and talk with me to give me shaving tips. In high school, nobody seemed to care either way. A few of them casually asked if I was on the swim team.

Diegomayra

Watching "Hell on Wheels", a documentary following T-Mobile team during the Tour de France, the team therapist said it was vital to have shaven leg for the deep tissue massaging that top cyclist need post rides to reduce swelling.

I shave, its a preference thing, I don't race or need deep tissue massages, however I do hate getting bugs in my leg hairs, plus sweaty-defined cycling legs look cooler when they're shaven. Yep, its a man-love thing.

Homebrew01

What do you mean ? We haven't discussed this for over a week.

c_mack9

do yall just shave from the shorts line down or your entire leg? ive been considering it but curious about how high to go up. im from KY, theres NO way in hell girls around here would prefer shaved legs on a man.

Homebrew01

Electric trimmer to get rid of the old growth forest, then a regular blade for maintenance.

nycphotography

They show off your lean muscular legs. They fit in with the group (cyclists) but not with the larger population.

You can always try trimming first. Try a #3. then a #2. And decide how low you're willing to go.

kleinboogie

Up to you where to stop. You don't care about girls, you care about the girl. That one will dig it. GL

badhat

honestly though how often are you in a situation where the "larger population" is paying attention to whether or not your legs are shaved?

i'm at a loss for any times its ever come up, or a single time i've ever gotten a look.

zkgiant

I don't shave my legs for the same reasons that I only shave my face like once a week (If I have a meeting or some other social event the following day). The hair doesn't bother me in any way and I don't find the process of shaving to be pleasant. Although I suspect it would be more pleasant if I did it more frequently....

mkadam68

They will when they see the muscular legs better. Hair covers it up.

mkadam68

This right here.

And use shaving cream when you use the bladed razor.

Seattle Forrest

Don't do it!

Pwnt

I can't bring myself to do it. I just can't.....

roflmao147

i am getting quite tempted, i just need to buy a razor, i'll soon be shaving my face, do i need to buy 2? or does the one razor do both?

explain yourself

nycphotography

I just whack down the foilage to a manageable reduced height (#2 on the Wahl, whole body)... and it looks much better. I still have hair on my legs, no shaving pimples, no open pores, and I can say with a straight face that I don't shave my legs, but of course I groom myself, what kind of slob doesn't?

And surprise surprise, girls DO like it. Even girls that like manly men. They get to see the muscle definition, and there's still manly hair... just not a big tangly bush of it.

urbanknight

You don't know much about women.

Shave the entire leg. The most common place to get road rash is by your hip. Don't shave the man bush, but trim it. It makes it look bigger.

fwiw I don't shave anymore. My skin hated it, and getting constant razor rash that made red as a lobster was in no way better than having to pick little pieces of asphalt out of my skin and fur once every few years.